GREENSBORO, September 16, 2013 – The defending MEAC men’s basketball champions, the North Carolina A&T Aggies, released a 2013-14 schedule on Monday that features 12 home games at Corbett Sports Center and two games against in-state non-conference rivals.

The Aggies are coming off of a season in which they won their first MEAC tournament title in 18 years. The program also won its first-ever NCAA tournament game with its 73-72 win over Liberty in Dayton, Ohio. A&T’s 20-17 2013-14 record earned the program its first 20-win season in 25 years.

The Aggies open the 2013-14 season the same way they opened the 2012-13 season, with a home game against Division III Greensboro College. After the Aggies host Greensboro College on Nov. 8 at 7 p.m., they will play six consecutive road games starting with a rematch against Utah Valley on Nov. 11. Four days later the Aggies will play at Rhode Island before playing in the four-game Barclays Center Classic, which features games against Georgia Tech of the ACC and Ole Miss of the SEC.

“I think we have a very challenging schedule,” said A&T head coach Cy Alexander, who led the Aggies to their first winning season since 1996-97. “We play a variety of different schools, from a variety of different levels and they all have very different styles of play. We have two in state opponents – East Carolina and Charlotte – that will be a major test for us. But it will give our fans who live in the Greenville and Charlotte areas a chance to come out and see us play.”

A&T’s schedule is also loaded with competitive mid-major schools. Wright State, a team that beat the Aggies last season in Dayton, will come to Corbett Sports Center on Dec. 5 at 7 p.m. Georgia Southern (Dec. 28, 6 p.m.) and New Jersey Institute of Technology (Jan. 18, 7 p.m.), two teams the Aggies earned road wins against last season, are the Aggies other two non-conference home games. Their other non-conference road tests are at Radford (Dec. 7), East Carolina (Dec. 14), Eastern Kentucky (Dec. 18), St. Louis (Dec. 21) and Charlotte (Jan. 4).

The Aggies begin MEAC play at Bethune-Cookman on Jan. 11. Their two showdowns with N.C. Central will happen in the same calendar year this season. They go to Durham on Jan. 22, while the Eagles come to Greensboro on Feb. 22.

“Our conference schedule is always a challenge,” said Alexander. “Our goal is to win 100 percent of our home games and 50 percent of our road games. We’re going to see if we can live up to that.”